Cadel - Lungs on Legs by Connor Delves & Steve McMahon, Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, London W6 | until 15 November 2026. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Photo credit: Kyle Dax Smith

Cadel - Lungs on Legs

by Connor Delves & Steve McMahon

Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, London W6 | until 15 November 2026.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“Pedalling to glory.”

The lungs and Legs on display belong to Connor Delves who plays Cadel Evans, the only Australian cyclist to win the Tour de France. That was in 2011. Delves, who grew up in Australia where his parents had a bike shop, is now a New York based actor. He devised this show, celebrating its 100th performance the night I saw it at the Riverside, with help from Cadel although the lungs and legs we see belong to Delves/ He sits astride a model of the bike Cadel won the coveted yellow jersey on pedalling away like crazy through the events of the race while behind him on a cast TV screen we see archive footage. It is an amazing performance and exhausting to watch. He also conjures up a pretty bloody-minded man determined at all costs to get that jersey. One learns a thing or two about bike racing including that beneath the latex he has two little pads on his bottom to ease the pain of the saddle which is something one has never seen on television. One lives and learns. The big may be anchored but its rear wheel moves and the pedals do go round so effectively for the 70 minutes of the show Delves is riding it which is no mean feat. He gets a little help from Mecca Christy who copes with the changes of bike, which have to be installed into the mechanism that controls that rear wheel, and supplies things like bottles of water when required. A night like no other, the show started life to huge success on the Edinburgh Fringe, has had a short run before in London and now is back for this five-week run. The perfect night out for all couch potatoes as you get to ride the Tour de France without actually doing so watching someone work very hard indeed as a man pedalling his way to glory. It could be the ride of your life.

Cast

Conor Delves – Cadel Evans

Mecca Christy – Ensemble

Creatives

Director – Mark Barford

Lighting Designer – Mitchell Fenton

Composer & Sound Designer – Nate Edmondson

Video Designer – Lauren Cochrane

Graphic Designer – Kyle Dax Smith